Q1. Which process is NOT used to address policy constraints in TOC?
A. The Five Focusing Steps
B. Thinking Processes
C. Current Reality Tree
D. Evaporating Cloud Tree
✅ Answer: A. The Five Focusing Steps
Q2. Which is the first question addressed in the TOC Thinking Processes?
A. What actions will cause the change?
B. What should it be changed to?
C. Who should lead the change?
D. What needs to be changed?
✅ Answer: D. What needs to be changed?
Q3. What technique is used in Step One to identify the constraint on the shop floor?
A. Kaizen
B. Visual Gemba Walk
C. Expeditor involvement and WIP accumulation
D. Kanban
✅ Answer: C. Expeditor involvement and WIP accumulation
Q4. Which metric helps identify constraints in equipment performance?
A. First Pass Yield
B. Cycle Time
C. Utilization Ratio
D. Scrap Rate
✅ Answer: B. Cycle Time
Q5. What is the deliverable for Step One of the Five Focusing Steps?
A. Improved quality control
B. A constraint buffer
C. Identification of the process constraint
D. Setup reduction strategy
✅ Answer: C. Identification of the process constraint
Q6. What does Step Two of the Five Focusing Steps aim to achieve?
A. Elevate constraint performance
B. Reduce WIP
C. Exploit the constraint using current resources
D. Implement a new ERP
✅ Answer: C. Exploit the constraint using current resources
Q7. In Step Two, what should be placed immediately before the constraint?
A. Kanban card
B. Control chart
C. Inventory buffer
D. Quality inspection team
✅ Answer: C. Inventory buffer
Q8. Which is NOT a tactic used to exploit the constraint?
A. Overtime scheduling
B. Cross-training
C. Setup reduction
D. Operating during breaks
✅ Answer: C. Setup reduction
Q9. Moving maintenance outside constraint production time helps to:
A. Increase labor hours
B. Improve profitability
C. Maximize uptime at the constraint
D. Reduce energy costs
✅ Answer: C. Maximize uptime at the constraint
Q10. Which step focuses on aligning upstream and downstream operations to support the constraint?
A. Elevate
B. Subordinate
C. Exploit
D. Identify
✅ Answer: B. Subordinate
Q11. What is the role of sprint capacity in TOC?
A. Reduce costs
B. Increase takt time
C. Cover interruptions in non-constraint operations
D. Handle HR scheduling
✅ Answer: C. Cover interruptions in non-constraint operations
Q12. What tool is typically implemented during the Subordinate step for synchronization?
A. VSM
B. 5S
C. Drum-Buffer-Rope
D. ERP
✅ Answer: C. Drum-Buffer-Rope
Q13. What is the outcome of the Subordinate step?
A. Increased inspection
B. More raw material use
C. Fewer interruptions to constraint operation
D. Increased takt time
✅ Answer: C. Fewer interruptions to constraint operation
Q14. What does the Elevate step of TOC typically involve?
A. Avoiding investment
B. Big data analysis
C. Capital or high-effort improvements to constraint performance
D. Employee layoffs
✅ Answer: C. Capital or high-effort improvements to constraint performance
Q15. Which technique in Elevate involves reducing time lost to changeovers?
A. Takt Time
B. Setup Reduction
C. Kanban
D. Error Proofing
✅ Answer: B. Setup Reduction
Q16. What type of performance data is used in the Elevate phase?
A. Customer satisfaction surveys
B. Inventory counts
C. Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
D. Warranty claims
✅ Answer: C. Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
Q17. What technique involves rapid team-based response within each shift?
A. Kanban Loop
B. Cross-docking
C. Short Interval Control
D. SIPOC
✅ Answer: C. Short Interval Control
Q18. Step Five in TOC encourages:
A. Reporting
B. Replacing operators
C. Continuous improvement by identifying the next constraint
D. Reducing throughput intentionally
✅ Answer: C. Continuous improvement by identifying the next constraint
Q19. What caution is given in Step Five of TOC?
A. Avoid new investments
B. Monitor taxes
C. Beware of inertia
D. Eliminate buffers
✅ Answer: C. Beware of inertia
Q20. What is the biggest conceptual difference between TOC and Lean?
A. One is Japanese, the other is American
B. TOC focuses on eliminating waste, Lean on profit
C. TOC focuses on constraint throughput, Lean on waste elimination
D. TOC uses automation more
✅ Answer: C. TOC focuses on constraint throughput, Lean on waste elimination
Q21. How does TOC view inventory compared to Lean?
A. Lean favors large inventory
B. TOC eliminates inventory completely
C. TOC maintains inventory at constraints; Lean minimizes all inventory
D. Both treat inventory as neutral
✅ Answer: C. TOC maintains inventory at constraints; Lean minimizes all inventory
Q22. What is the primary objective of TOC?
A. Reduce cost
B. Increase throughput
C. Improve customer feedback
D. Increase lead time
✅ Answer: B. Increase throughput
Q23. What does Lean prioritize more than TOC?
A. Throughput
B. Inventory buffers
C. Waste elimination
D. Constraint optimization
✅ Answer: C. Waste elimination
Q24. In TOC, excess capacity at non-constraints is:
A. Wasteful
B. Encouraged for smoother flow
C. A violation of lean rules
D. Cost-intensive
✅ Answer: B. Encouraged for smoother flow
Q25. How does Lean typically balance a production line?
A. Based on constraint throughput
B. To eliminate excess capacity
C. Around sales commissions
D. With pull system only
✅ Answer: B. To eliminate excess capacity
Q26. Which approach allows for line imbalance as a strength?
A. Six Sigma
B. Lean
C. TOC
D. JIT
✅ Answer: C. TOC
Q27. What does the Thinking Process tool “Evaporating Cloud” aim to resolve?
A. Bottlenecks
B. Equipment issues
C. Conflicts in assumptions and policies
D. Job rotation
✅ Answer: C. Conflicts in assumptions and policies
Q28. TOC’s version of an implementation roadmap is the:
A. DMAIC cycle
B. Strategy and Tactics Tree
C. Kaizen Board
D. SIPOC Diagram
✅ Answer: B. Strategy and Tactics Tree
Q29. Which of the following reflects the TOC approach to improvements?
A. Random small improvements
B. Improve the current constraint first
C. Cut costs across departments
D. Widen management span
✅ Answer: B. Improve the current constraint first
Q30. A "buffer" in TOC is best described as:
A. Extra labor
B. Time-based inventory
C. Cost savings
D. Waste
✅ Answer: B. Time-based inventory
Q31. Why is excess capacity at non-constraints considered beneficial in TOC?
A. It helps reduce utility bills
B. It provides flexibility to keep constraint operations uninterrupted
C. It makes equipment more efficient
D. It ensures takt time adherence
✅ Answer: B. It provides flexibility to keep constraint operations uninterrupted
Q32. What does the term "breaking the constraint" mean in TOC?
A. Shutting down the constraint equipment
B. Outsourcing the process
C. Improving the constraint until it’s no longer the limiting factor
D. Reducing staff
✅ Answer: C. Improving the constraint until it’s no longer the limiting factor
Q33. Which step of the Five Focusing Steps is associated with short-term, low-cost actions?
A. Subordinate
B. Identify
C. Exploit
D. Elevate
✅ Answer: C. Exploit
Q34. Why is Elevate the most resource-intensive step?
A. It involves selling the constraint equipment
B. It includes high investment in people or equipment
C. It eliminates the need for inventory
D. It requires shutting down operations
✅ Answer: B. It includes high investment in people or equipment
Q35. Which of the following is considered a common sign of a constraint?
A. Smooth operation
B. Overproduction
C. Accumulated WIP before a process step
D. Constant quality checks
✅ Answer: C. Accumulated WIP before a process step
Q36. In TOC, which type of constraint is the hardest to detect internally?
A. Market constraint
B. Physical constraint
C. Policy constraint
D. Equipment constraint
✅ Answer: C. Policy constraint
Q37. What does “subordinating” to the constraint mean?
A. Operating all processes at the same speed
B. Matching upstream and downstream activities to support the constraint
C. Reducing inventory
D. Firing non-essential workers
✅ Answer: B. Matching upstream and downstream activities to support the constraint
Q38. Which of the following is NOT a Lean objective?
A. Reduce waste
B. Balance production lines
C. Eliminate all inventory
D. Maximize throughput by focusing on the constraint
✅ Answer: D. Maximize throughput by focusing on the constraint
Q39. What is the end goal of the Five Focusing Steps cycle?
A. Reduce WIP
B. Continuously find and eliminate the next constraint
C. Finalize production
D. Eliminate Lean waste
✅ Answer: B. Continuously find and eliminate the next constraint
Q40. TOC’s approach to continuous improvement is most closely related to which principle?
A. Six Sigma DMAIC
B. Kaizen
C. Agile Sprint
D. Root Cause Analysis
✅ Answer: B. Kaizen
Q41. What makes policy constraints especially dangerous in organizations?
A. They are expensive
B. They are imposed by competitors
C. They are embedded and often unquestioned
D. They are government-mandated
✅ Answer: C. They are embedded and often unquestioned
Q42. Why might external consultants be better at identifying policy constraints?
A. They are familiar with all policies
B. They work faster than internal teams
C. They are less attached to ingrained habits and assumptions
D. They use more expensive tools
✅ Answer: C. They are less attached to ingrained habits and assumptions
Q43. How does Lean address line balancing compared to TOC?
A. Lean encourages imbalance
B. TOC focuses on customer takt time
C. Lean balances the line to eliminate waste; TOC intentionally unbalances it to support the constraint
D. Both treat balancing the same way
✅ Answer: C. Lean balances the line to eliminate waste; TOC intentionally unbalances it to support the constraint
Q44. What is a downside of treating inventory as an asset (per traditional accounting)?
A. It increases taxes
B. It hides operational inefficiencies and creates “paper profits”
C. It improves throughput
D. It lowers carrying costs
✅ Answer: B. It hides operational inefficiencies and creates “paper profits”
Q45. What’s the TOC view on labor costs?
A. Always variable
B. Never included in throughput
C. Considered fixed unless 100% piece-rate based
D. Only tracked in OEE
✅ Answer: C. Considered fixed unless 100% piece-rate based
Q46. In Lean, pacing is based on:
A. Constraint rate
B. Historical production average
C. Takt time
D. Cycle time
✅ Answer: C. Takt time
Q47. Which action would be an example of “offloading the constraint internally”?
A. Hiring a new manager
B. Processing some constraint tasks on less efficient, idle machines
C. Delaying orders
D. Increasing buffer size
✅ Answer: B. Processing some constraint tasks on less efficient, idle machines
Q48. When should Step Five (Repeat) begin in the Five Focusing Steps?
A. Once inventory is cleared
B. After constraint has been broken
C. When customer complaints stop
D. After Lean tools are implemented
✅ Answer: B. After constraint has been broken
Q49. What is the key output of the Exploit step?
A. Reduced downtime
B. Increased labor efficiency
C. Improved throughput using current resources
D. More inspections
✅ Answer: C. Improved throughput using current resources
Q50. Which term best describes the approach of TOC to performance improvement?
A. Broad and uniform
B. Reactive to market
C. Narrow and focused
D. Slow and steady
✅ Answer: C. Narrow and focused
Q51. What is the key difference between "Elevate" and "Exploit" in TOC?
A. Elevate uses existing resources, Exploit adds new ones
B. Elevate requires larger investment and more systemic change
C. Elevate targets suppliers; Exploit targets customers
D. They are the same
✅ Answer: B. Elevate requires larger investment and more systemic change
Q52. In TOC terms, what does 'Sprint Capacity' help prevent?
A. Employee burnout
B. Prolonged downtimes at non-constraints
C. Underutilization
D. Overuse of lean tools
✅ Answer: B. Prolonged downtimes at non-constraints
Q53. What tool helps TOC practitioners visualize causes of constraint inefficiencies?
A. Ishikawa Diagram
B. Future Reality Tree
C. Value Stream Map
D. SIPOC
✅ Answer: B. Future Reality Tree
Q54. A policy constraint rooted in a belief like "run all machines 100% of the time" is an example of a:
A. Paradigm-based constraint
B. Market constraint
C. Material constraint
D. WIP issue
✅ Answer: A. Paradigm-based constraint
Q55. What type of WIP signal system is part of TOC synchronization?
A. Push-based inventory
B. Drum-Buffer-Rope
C. Kanban
D. Poka-Yoke
✅ Answer: B. Drum-Buffer-Rope
 | Policy Constraints, Five Focusing Steps, and Lean Comparison | Part 5){kind=link}